Golden eagles are somewhat rare in western Iowa, and just like the national bird, the bald eagle, they're protected under state and federal law. Killing one is a simple misdemeanor for a first offense but carries a strong punishment.

“It's a $250,000 fine and one year in jail,” Tierney said.

DNR takes these crimes very seriously and said whoever shot the eagle did not climb the tree to retrieve it.

“It's a homicide with wildlife and that's how we investigate it,” he said.

Just like a homicide investigation, the Iowa DNR is soliciting the public's help.

“We're hopeful that someone saw something or heard something, and if they did, they can call the tip line,” Tierney said.

A GOLDEN EAGLE IS FOUND DEAD.. SHOT IN WESTERN IOWA. NOW THE SEARCH IS ON TO FIND OUT WHO KILLED THIS MAJESTIC BIRD LAST WEEK IN HARRISON COUNTY. AND WITH A STORY YOU'LL SEE ONLY ON SEVEN.... HERE'S K-E-T-V NEWSWATCH KYLE GRAVLIN. THEY'RE BEAUTIFUL ...MAJESTIC CREATURES. BUT LAST WEEK IN RURAL HARRISON COUNTY IOWA. SOMEONE SHOT THIS GOLDEN EAGLE. DAVID TIERNEY...A STATE CONSERVATION OFFICER WITH THE IOWA DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES...IS FRUSTRATED. (david Tierney: There's no reason for someone to go out and shoot such a beautiful bird such as that.) GOLDEN EAGLES ARE SOMEWHAT RARE IN WESTERN IOWA ...AND JUST LIKE THE NATIONAL BIRD...THE BALD EAGLE THEY'RE PROTECTED UNDER STATE áAND FEDERAL LAW KILLING ONE IS A SIMPLE MISDEMEANOR FOR A FIRST OFFENSE...BUT CARRIES A STRONG PUNISHMENT.(David: It's a 250 thousand dollar fine and one year in jail) AND THE D-N-R TAKES THESE CRIMES áVERY SERIOUSLY(DT: It's a homicide with wildlife and that's how we investigate it.)(KG: Certainly a senseless crime, but according to David Tierney...NOT a poaching incident out here at 140th st and nash trail in Woodbine, Iowa...he says because whomever shot this eagle did not climb the tree to retrieve it.) JUST LIKE A HOMICIDE INVESTIGATION ...THE IOWA D-N-R IS SOLICITING THE PUBLIC'S HELP.(DT: We're hopeful that someone saw something or heard something...and if they do they can call in to the Iowa DNR tipline.) AND THEY'RE PROVIDING INCENTIVE FOR THAT HELP...(DT: Right now, the reward is 2500 dollars and hopefully with that someone will say something.) ALL IN HOPES...THAT JUSTICE CAN BE SERVED... AND ONE OF OUR COUNTRY'S MOST CHERISHED WILDLIFE SPECIES...DEFENDED. KYLE GRAVLIN, KETV NEWSWATCH SEVEN. IF YOU KNOW ANYTHING.... THE IOWA D-N-R TIP LINE NUMBER IS 1-800-532-2020 OR YOU CAN SUBMIT A TIP ONLINE...OF COURSE, YOU WILL REMAIN COMPLETELY ANONYMOUS. WE'VE PUT A LINK TO THAT PAGE ON OUR WEBSITE. JUST GO TO KETV.COM AND CLICK ON THIS STORY.

Comments

The views expressed are not those of this site, this station or its affiliated companies. By posting your comments you agree to accept our terms of use. KETV NewsWatch 7 offers readers the ability to comment on stories with the understanding that these comments may be reprinted elsewhere on the site or used on KETV NewsWatch 7 newscasts. We ask that you refrain from profanity, hate speech, comments that don't relate to the story and any personal remarks. THIS IS IMPORTANT: KETV NewsWatch 7 does not edit user submitted statements and we cannot promise that readers will not, at times, find offensive or inaccurate comments posted in this area. If you find a comment that is objectionable or offensive, click the flag that appears in the upper right corner when you hover over a comment. Flagged comments may be automatically hidden from comment threads. For comments to appear on the website and/or the mobile app, email addresses must be verified through Disqus. We ask the community to monitor this forum with the knowledge that KETV NewsWatch 7 does not regularly monitor these comments.